Toddlers and Tranquillity
by Narwen Almiriel
Summary: All Aragorn wanted was some quiet time with his wife. What he had not counted on was two toddlers causing unnecessary distractions. Featuring a three-year-old Eldarion (and friend).
1. Where were the toddlers?

**Toddlers and Tranquility**

_Hello again! This is a short, sweet fic about the royal family of Gondor. It should be about two or three chapters. Hope you like it. Do review and tell me what you think._

_Disclaimer – Anything you recognise belongs to Professor Tolkien._

Aragorn Elessar sighed heavily as he walked towards his chambers. It was nearly sundown, and he had been stuck in council since morning, only coming out for a few minutes at noon, to have a hurried meal. He had not spent any time with his family at all that day. At times like this he wished that he were simply an ordinary man, not the king of Gondor. What he would not give to be able to go back to his old ranger ways – no having to wear stuffy formal clothes, no attending long, boring councils consisting mostly of old men who were too full of themselves...

Aragorn was interrupted from his thoughts by the arrival of the doors to the royal wing. The guards at the doors greeted the king as he stepped inside. Aragorn nodded at them. Once inside, he smiled to himself. Honestly! As if they really needed two guards outside the doors day and night. The royal wing was one of the oldest and most secure parts of the palace.

The royal wing. The main doors led into a large, long corridor, out of which several doors led into different rooms on either side. On the right side, there were fewer rooms, and a couple of large, ornate windows could be found, from which one could see the gardens and the courtyard. At the end of the corridor were the king and queen's chambers, consisting of their bedroom, sitting rooms, study and the nursery. Traditionally, there would have been guards outside the doors to these chambers as well, but Aragorn had been adamant that they were given some privacy.

The entire wing had been cleaned from top to bottom and a few small changes made, when the king was crowned. Till then it had lay unused for many generations, because the stewards had their own rooms. But now, it was full of life again. Aragorn looked forward to coming back here at the end of the day. It seemed to be completely detached and separate from the rest of the palace. It was where his official duties could not reach him. And it was so peaceful. Well. As peaceful as it could be with a three-year old running around. The thought of his son brought a smile to his face once more.

Aragorn started to make his way down to his chambers, but paused to look outside from a large window. He could see Arwen's garden from the window. It was almost winter now, and the leaves had fallen from most of the trees. But some small plants still flowered on defiantly, scattering the garden with splashes of colour. Arwen's garden... She had started work on it soon after their wedding, to keep herself occupied when he was required to be away from the citadel overseeing the repairs and construction taking place in the city. It flourished very quickly under the care of an elf. Five years later, it was still beautiful, and growing more so every year as the plants grew and established their identities. Five years... They had been married more than five years now, and those five years had been the happiest of his life. Arwen had given him everything he could every want. And most importantly, the two of them had been together after such a long wait.

The sound of laughter somewhere nearby brought him back to the present. He only wished to go inside to the warmth, to his wife, his family, as soon as possible. The days were getting steadily colder. Winter would be here soon. Aragorn had never been that fond of winter. At Imladris, he had always preferred spring. But since becoming king, he found himself looking forward to the colder months. For the colder months brought his steward to Minas Tirith. Faramir and his family always spent late autumn, winter and early spring in Minas Tirith, which meant that Aragorn was relieved of some of his duties, and had more time to spend with his family. Indeed, he would have been stuck in council for many more long hours today if it had not been for Faramir. Aragorn was very grateful to Faramir for allowing him some freedom from his duties.

Walking quickly, Aragorn soon reached his chambers. The scene that greeted him inside more than made up for his day. Arwen was sitting by the fire with their five-month-old daughter, sleeping like an angel in her arms. And Arwen looked simply breathtaking. _As always_. She looked up at Aragorn when he came in and smiled. Finally, a chance for some peace and tranquillity. He was home. But the former ranger inside him became wary at the sudden decrease in volume. Surely he had heard laughter a few moments ago. Yet now it was too quiet. _Where were the toddlers?_

-------------------------tbc--------------------------

Imladris – Elvish name for Rivendell

_What did you think? Do review and let me know. Thanks for reading!_

Coming up (soon) – Fluff, including a cuddly and adorable three-year-old Eldarion (and an equally cuddly and cute toddler heir to stewardship of Gondor).

_A special note to **Malara**, for being such a dedicated and enthusiastic reviewer. – Thank you! Your reviews really mean loads to me, what with me still being a new writer and everything. I need all the support (and reviews) I can get (really, I promise!) And don't worry, I haven't abandoned UWMA. I'm currently working on Ch 5, but I haven't posted the next couple of chapters because I'm not happy with a few things so I need to change some stuff. Also, homework gets in the way. But hang in there. I will post them soon._

_**P.S**. Malara, I'm glad you liked the title of UWMA. I was rather stuck for a title for this story. I hope you like it. If not, tell me if you've thought of a better title. I'm honestly not very sure about this one._

_- Narwen Almiriel_


	2. Why me?

_Hello there everyone! And how are you today? Is it not a bee-u-tii-ful day! Have you had snow yet? As you can tell, I am very happy. And it is not due to having eaten too much chocolate, it is because of all your lovely reviews. I've never had so many before! And since I've got so much chocolate left over, you can all have some cookies. There you go!_

_I'm really sorry I've taken so long to update, and I hope I've not put you off the story. But I was really busy with schoolwork. I couldn't help it. And I'm going to have a miserable Christmas, too. I will be spending my holidays revising one and a half years worth of notes in ten subjects because my exams begin in the second week of January. They're supposed to be 'mocks' for the real thing in May, but they're just as bad. If I ever find the person who came up with GCSEs, I will kill them. Twice. Anyway, as you can tell, I will be quite unhappy and frustrated over Christmas. And because I have to save up for presents, etc, I won't even be able to buy loads of chocolate to cheer me up. So I am requesting you to make me happy by giving me lots of nice reviews for this chapter. Please? _

**Disclaimer** – Sadly, nothing you recognise is owned by me; it all belongs to Professor Tolkien. Although… perhaps no one would mind if I just borrowed Aragorn for a bit…

Aragorn – Oh no you don't! (_Scurries away fearfully_)

Authoress – (_sighs_) oh well. It was worth a shot, at least. Anways, on with the story now.

**Toddlers and Tranquillity**

_**Chapter 2 – 'Why me?'**_

_Where were the toddlers?_

Aragorn looked around anxiously, half expecting the two of them to be lurking around somewhere. Arwen laughed at the look on his face. Her musical laughter made him turn and look at her curiously. "Why do you laugh, meleth nin?" Aragorn asked.

"It amuses me greatly to see the King of Gondor look so terrified at the thought of facing two toddlers," Arwen replied.

Aragorn instantly turned red at her words, and tried his best to put on an indignant face, which was hard when he was still keeping an ear out for any sound of the boys. "Who said I was terrified?" he asked, somewhat coldly. Arwen raised an eyebrow, looking uncannily like her father when he employed the same expression. Aragorn continued hastily. "Of course I am not scared. A little…nervous, maybe, but why should I be scared?" Seeing the disbelief still etched on his wife's fair features, Aragorn had to admit defeat. "Fine, you win, meleth. I give in. I must confess I am somewhat… reluctant to face the boys."

Arwen smiled broadly. She knew her husband better than he did himself. "Estel, they are only children. Are you perhaps worried because of what happened last time the two of them were together?"

Aragorn sputtered and choked. "How… how do you know what happened last time?"

Arwen smiled mischievously. "Éowyn kept me well informed. My only regret is that I was not there myself to witness the incident."

Aragorn winced at her words and turned beetroot, again. "Arwen! I, on the other hand, am glad you were not. It is not something I wish to remember." Indeed, he would give anything to erase that event from his memory entirely. He should have known. He should have prevented it. His foster brothers and Legolas together were a deadly combination in themselves, but combined with the King of Rohan, it was folly to get on the wrong side of them.

Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas, Gimli together with Éomer, his wife Lothíriel, their infant son Elfwine, Éowyn and Faramir had all visited Minas Tirith a few months ago at the birth of Elenna. In truth, he should have suspected something from all the hurried, whispered conversations his brothers and Éomer seemed to be having with that blasted Mirkwood elf. But he had never expected his own son to turn traitor!

Eldarion was, of course, never questioned or denied access to the royal suite. And when he was with him, neither was Elboron. They were both intelligent boys in spite of the fact that they had neither of them reached their third birthday when Elenna was born. And they both had a knack for mischief. So they had been easy targets for their 'uncles', who had shamelessly persuaded them that it would be fun to sneak into the king's dressing room while he was in the bathroom having a bath, and pour some slow acting itching powder onto the clothes he was going to wear. It started to work when he was in council.

Éomer, being King of Rohan, naturally had to be present, but the other three culprits also found excuses for sitting in council. In the end, everyone had had a laugh at his expense. His only comfort then had been that Éomer had been strictly 'reprimanded' by his wife, Lothiriel,for behaving in such an unkingly way and embarrassing him in that manner. But even she had been fighting to keep the smile off her face.

Arwen, who was still tired from the birth, had been told to rest in her chambers for a few days, so she did not actually witness the incident. And Aragorn had requested that she not be informed. He could not bear to face her laughter as well. But fate had decided that it not be so. He should Éowyn would say something. Oh well. It was no use grumbling now. He would just have to bear her taunts. But he was surprised that she had not said anything before now.

Arwen seemed to read his thoughts. When he looked back at her she was grinning broadly. "Are you wondering why I did not mention this before?" she asked. "You see, Estel, I was looking for the right moment. Which was now. And as for not mentioning it ever again, I will have to think on that. Long and hard. And even then I might be tempted to say something now and then."

Aragorn gulped. He did not like where this was going. He would never be free of humiliation at this rate. And then he saw a slow smile spreading on her face, the one that he was used to seeing every night. Maybe there was hope, still. Arwen saw comprehension dawn on his face and continued. "Unless of course I can be persuaded otherwise, meleth." She stood up, put Elenna in a crib by the fire, and moved towards him. "What say you, Estel?"

It was Aragorn's turn to grin. He decided he had been worrying about the boys needlessly. They had probably gone to play somewhere. Or something. He felt his weariness disappearing as he looked at his wife, standing there in that suggestive manner. He could spend some quiet time with her now. Well. Probably not _that_ quiet. He spoke up. "I think, meleth nin, that we can come to an agreement."

Arwen was standing in front of him now. He took in the scent of her hair. It was almost winter, but her hair still smelt of wildflowers, of spring. He loved it, like he loved all the rest of her. Even after five years of being married to her he still marvelled at the fact that this beautiful, wonderful woman had chosen to give up so much for him. He did not deserve her. But Aragorn decided not to dwell on that just then, when there were other things he could be doing.

He leant forward to kiss her. So caught up was he in her that he did not notice a door behind them opening and two small shapes entering. He did not notice the slightly larger of the two shapes running towards him. He was brought back sharply to his senses as he felt something attach itself to his leg. He looked downwards to see his son looking up at him happily. "Ada!" Eldarion said. "You're back!"

Aragorn groaned silently. He loved his son very much, but he did not like being interrupted at times like these. When looked back at Arwen, she looked at him apologetically and stepped back. Eldarion finally released himself from his father's leg and ran back to where his friend was standing. Like their parents, the prince and the Steward's son Elboron were the best of friends. Once together, they were practically inseperable.

Aragorn turned around to look at them. Once he saw them properly, he sighed. They were both covered from head to toe in mud. And now, so were his clothes. He could not help but think that the Valar had a strange sense of humour. _Why now?_ _Why **me**???_

----------------------------------tbc------------------------------------

Translations 

Meleth, meleth nin – my love

Ada – Dad/daddy

_So. What did you think? Do let me know. I would really appreciate your comments. And tell me if there is anything that needs to be improved on. And I have a question for you. Help me out here on a small technical point. I doubt if trousers are called trousers in Middle Earth. Instead, would Aragorn be wearing breeches? Or something else entirely? I thought it was breeches, but I wasn't sure. So to be on the safe side, I just put 'clothes'. Does anyone know what's right?_

Anyway, now on to review responses. Thank you so much! It's really lovely to know that people like this story. I really wanted to give individual replies because I still haven't quite gotten over the shock of getting so many.

**Aebbook** – I'm glad you liked the story. I hope you liked this chapter, too.

**aimz-246** – Thanks! I love fluffy fics, too.

**ArwenElfstone** – (Blushes) Thank you for all the lovely stuff. I'm glad you like my Aragorn. Too bad he runs away every time I go near him, though.

**Ciel-Undomiel** – Yay! You were my first reviewer for this fic! Thank you loads!

**Dark Borg Drone** – As you can see, I have continued. You know, the funny thing is that this fic was only going to be a couple of chapters long. But now, it will be longer, probably about 4 chapters (I don't think its even about halfway yet; there's more to come!). I hope you won't get bored of it.

**EbonyBeach** – I'm so happy that you liked it. This chapter sort of went off-track a bit, but oh well.

**Grumpy** – You like my Aragorn! I like him too. I like to show him as 'human', if you get what I mean – he does have weaknesses, in spite of all that he's done. He's not perfect. I'm guessing right now he's quite frustrated and more than a little annoyed at a certain three-year-old. ; )

**Kharina** – Wheee! Ten out of ten! Thanks! I hope this chapter was good enough.

**luv24Alias** – Thank you!

**Malethwen** – I know this probably wasn't soon enough, but please don't hurt me!

**Malara** – You write the nicest reviews, you know! You make me feel all happy. Yay! You sounded like my English teacher as well, actually, but that's a good thing because she's absolutely lovely and sweet (but she can be nasty if she really wants to). But it made me feel really proud, you know! 'balance between detail and moving on with the plot' 'ability to write with emotion' (sighs dreamily) I feel all grown up! But I've got a long way to go, still.

'Short, simple, sweet, and happy!' Thanks! But… er… I'm not so sure about the short bit anymore. It will be a few more chapters yet. I'm sure you won't mind, though. And I love writing happy things. Sad things make me cry. But I still read them though. The only sad thing I've really written is the first chapter of 'Until We Meet Again'. I decided to get it over with at the start. Speaking of which, thanks for reviewing UWMA! But it will be a while till the next chapter. I feel all sad when I sit down to work on it. No one seems to be reading it! Come on, people! It's my longest fic so far, but it doesn't seem to be good enough. (sigh) _Think happy thoughts --- think happy thoughts_

Coming back to this, I was really scared that people wouldn't like seeing Aragorn frightened of two children. But I always imagined him like that – he can face Sauron himself if need be, but cannot handle a couple of toddlers. I'm glad you agree. I look forward to reading what you thought of this chapter. : )

**Rhys** – Thank you so much! I'm really not used to so many nice things being said to me all at once. But I am so pleased that everyone liked my take on Aragorn. I love writing him because he is so much fun. You can portray him as serious, or funny, or happy, or sad, or angryor loads of other emotions, without it looking awkward or too out-of-character. Thanks for your review for 'A Letter From Ada'. I'm glad you liked it. Elrond… Elrond is also quite interesting to write because Tolkien did not give that much on his character, leaving us free to interpret him the way we want. I do feel that he is the sort of person who would be calm and cool and collected and efficient, etc in front of other people, but he drops his guard in front of those he loves. Tell you what, why don't you read 'Until We Meet Again' and tell me if something's going wrong there? (hint, hint) Please!!!

Can I say a biiiiiiig thank you for putting this story in your favourites! I feel so honoured! Do tell me what you thought of this chapter. And what were the bad points, because I'd like to get better. And could you update 'Exploring Darkness' soon, please? : )

**Valia-Elf** – I'm glad you liked this. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I will try to be quicker next time.

_Okay, I will stop now. But do review. I'm not entirely sure when my next update will be because I've got so much work, but I hope I won't take as I long as I did this time. I will try my best to update quickly, but I can't promise. Sorry about that. But stick around, will you? That's all for now. Until the next update. Bye!_

_- Narwen Almiriel_


	3. No bath!

_Hello everyone! Here I am, once again, with another chapter! Much later than promised, but it's here nevertheless. So here you go… _

Disclaimer – Anything you recognise belongs to Professor Tolkien, and not to me.

**Chapter 3 - No Bath**

_Why now? Why me? _

Aragorn simply stared at the two children for a while, covered so completely in mud. He was, he had to admit, perplexed. It wasn't raining outside, was it? Not the last time he had checked. A quick glance outside told him that it hadn't suddenly started in the few moments since he entered the room. And it hadn't rained in the past few days, so there couldn't be any puddles. But then how…? For there wasn't even a single inch on either Eldarion or Elboron's body that wasn't caked in mud. And dripping. The maids wouldn't be too happy then… But that would come later.

Firstly, what to do about the children? Éowyn of course loved her children very much, but even she wouldn't be happy to see her son looking like a little orc. And she would be angry with _him_. And when the shield maiden was angry with someone, people knew about it, he thought dryly. Best to avoid such an incident while the delegations from Harad were present in the city. King of Gondor Aragorn may be, but even he couldn't face the wrath of the White Lady…

He tried to clear such thoughts and brought himself back to the present. Two muddy toddlers. Just what he needed when he had been planning to spend some time with his wife. He exchanged a glance with Arwen, who had a wry smile on her face. Aragorn sighed heavily. Arwen caught this and winked at him. Suddenly there was a mischievous look on her face. He did not have to hear her speak to know what _that_ look meant – _Later_. And later it would have to be.

But for now, they had to deal with the situation in hand. "Right," he spoke up. "Let's get the two of you into a bath."

Both boys immediately started protesting. "I don't want a bath, Ada!" shouted Eldarion. "Baths are nasty. And I had one in the morning."

Elboron chipped in, nodding earnestly. "Baths are horrid and they get you all wet!"

Eldarion clearly agreed with him. "And they make you smell all nasty. And icky!"

"And GIRLY!" Elboron shouted. Both boys looked at each other and shuddered. To smell of scented soap once a day was enough for them.

Aragorn had to work hard to keep the smile off his face. He looked around him to find that Arwen was no longer there. She had returned to the nursery, where Elenna could be heard stirring uneasily, obviously disturbed by all the racket the boys were making. He heard Arwen singing an Elvish lullaby to her softly. Elenna calmed down. And, to his surprise, so did the boys. When he turned back around to them they were both listening silently, and intently. When the song was over, Eldarion opened his mouth to speak, but was nudged by Elboron, who brought his finger to his lips and shushed rather dramatically. "Shhhhhhh. You will wake her up," he whispered loudly.

This seemed to annoy Eldarion. "I know that, Bor!" Seeing Elboron's hurt expression, he immediately reached out to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry, Bor," he said softly. And he was. Somewhere inside him he understood his friend's concern. After all, Bor had been a big brother for much longer than him. And it comforted him to know that Bor would look after his sister if he wasn't there. And he would look after Eirien if Bor wasn't there. Always.

Eldarion hadn't been a big brother for very long. But after five months with Elenna he was getting more and more used to it. At first he had been very distressed to learn that his Ada and Nana would be someone else's Ada and Nana too. And then his naneth had taken his hand and placed it on her belly, and he felt something move, and he had been amazed to learn that that was his little brother or sister. And then him and Bor had a talk (even though both had a rather limited vocabulary at the time) and him and Ada had a talk. Ada said that they would always love him, and just because they had someone else to love didn't mean that they wouldn't love him just as much as they did now. That had made him feel better. And now he couldn't imagine life without his sister. Just as he couldn't imagine life without Bor. That thought made him reach out and hug Elboron again. And as they hugged each other, he knew that Bor felt the same, and that they would be best friends forever.

Due to the expressions on their faces, Aragorn could almost see their thoughts going through their heads. Even at this age, they were so loyal to each other. He knew that the two boys would always be there for each other in times to come. No one could ever have imagined how inseparable they would become…

Nevertheless, that still did not solve his current predicament. The glaring absence of the warmth of his wife by his side reminded Aragorn of what had been interrupted. He decided he was going to get both boys clean, and quickly, whether they wanted him to or not.

"Eldarion? Elboron?" At the sound of their names, both boys turned to look at him, and immediately crossed their arms and pouted.

"No bath," said Eldarion.

"No bath," agreed Elboron.

The king of Gondor sighed, yet again, in an extremely un-kingly manner. It was going to be this way, then, was it? In that, case, he would simply have to try a different approach. Aragorn paused for a moment and thought. Hard. Until a flash of inspiration came to him. Why hadn't he though of it before? It was so simple. He would use the same ploy to get the toddlers into a bath that Lord Elrond used to use with him.

And so Aragorn made up his mind. He had a Plan, and he would use it. Not a plan, but a Plan. There was no way it could fail. Of course, the thought that Eldarion and Elboron were related, by blood, to the Troublesome Twins and Equally Troublesome King of Rohan respectively, never once crossed his mind right then. Or that Elrond had always had assistance from Glorfindel and, even though admittedly reluctantly, Erestor. Or that it had always been only one of him, but here there were two of them. Together. At the same time.

No, Aragorn Elessar, King of the Reunited Kingdoms, never paused to consider. All of these thoughts never entered his head; so eager was he to solve the problem. He decided to put his Plan into action.

"Boys," he announced, a grin back on his face. "How would you like to play a game?"

Both boys immediately brightened up, all thoughts of a bath forgotten for the time being. "Game?" Eldarion questioned.

"Yes. A game."

* * *

_Translations _

Meleth – Love  
Ada – Dad/daddy (shortened form of Adar)  
Naneth/Nana – Mother, mummy

* * *

_Right then. First things first. SORRY! I am really really sorry for such a long delay in the posting of this chapter. Honestly, I am. But I had coursework and spent the holidays revising for exams and then when we got back to school I had the exams themselves. They were over a few days ago, but I've spent the past week worrying about the results. A very stressful time, as you can see. Yes, there is no excuse for such a long delay, but… Sorry? And I offer you chocolate elves as an apology, and a request for forgiveness. I hope you will find it in your big, big hearts to forgive me. Please? Puppy dog eyes_

_Now. Moving on, what did you think of this chapter? Did you like it? Did you hate it? What bits were poorly done? Do let me know. If it felt a bit patchy, then I apologise. Because I've worked on it in bits and pieces over such a long period of time, so I don't think it flows very well. As for the interaction between the two toddlers, I'm still not happy with it. I was in half a mind to just get rid of the entire chunk, but I thought I'd see what you thought of it first. It's a long time since my little brother was three, and I can't actually remember what he was like then (I was very little at the time, you see). And I don't know any 3-year-olds. So I wasn't sure if they would interact like that. Or if they would have such thoughts. Yes, Eldarion and Elboron are both intelligent kids, but still… Let me know what you think._

_Can I say a very big thank you to all those who reviewed this story. I really appreciate all the feedback. I have never received so many reviews before. And thanks must also go to those who took the time to read the other little stories I put up, including 'They Watched', 'Wait for Me', and the other altogether-quite-depressing fics. Extra elfsies for you. Here you go! throws chocolate elves_

_I'm really sorry (yet again) that I don't have time for individual replies. Back to coursework for me. And it would become too long if I tried to fit in each reply. I will try to include them in the next chapter. Just a teensy request – if you want me to reply, then could you please include an email address in your review? It's just that when I have a lot to say I tend to give rather long replies… I don't think they like that here on If that is inconvenient, then I promise I will include a reply in the next chapter. See? This author's note has already gotten too long._

_So I will end it here. Hope you liked the chapter. I will try to get the next one to you as soon as possible. I will leave you now with a poem by Langston Hughes. I think it's lovely. I find it sort of uplifting. So keep dreaming! Until the next post._

_Bye!_

_- Narwen_

**_

* * *

Dreams _**

Hold fast to dreams  
For if dreams die  
Life is a broken-winged bird  
That cannot fly.  
Hold fast to dreams  
For when dreams go  
Life is a barren field  
Frozen with snow.

**Langston Hughes**


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